Michael Donald Healy (August 28, 1936 – April 2, 2020) was an American football

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

in the National Football League for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

and Dallas Cowboys. He also was a member of the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

in the

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the University of Maryland.

Early years

Healy attended

Rome Free Academy Rome Free Academy (commonly abbreviated as RFA) is a public high school located in Rome, New York, United States, at the former site of Griffiss Air Force Base. The school opened at this location in September 2002, having previously been located a ...

, where he received honorable-mention All-state honors in football. He also practiced baseball and hockey. He accepted a football scholarship from the University of Maryland. He played as a two-way tackle and was a three-year starter. He was a part of the 1958 College All Star team that defeated the 1957 NFL Champion

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

. His teammates included

Alex Karras Alexander George Karras (July 15, 1935 – October 10, 2012) was an American football player, professional wrestler, sportscaster, and actor. He was a four-time Pro Bowl player with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL), ...

, Ray Nitschke and Chuck Howley. He also took part in the Senior Bowl and the

East–West Shrine Game East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...

Professional career

Chicago Bears

Healy was selected by the

in the third round (37th overall) of the

1958 NFL Draft The 1958 National Football League draft had its first four rounds held on December 2, 1957, and its final twenty-six rounds on January 28, 1958. Both sessions were held at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia. This was the 12th and final year in ...

. He played two seasons and was a backup offensive guard.

Dallas Cowboys

He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1960 NFL Expansion Draft, becoming the first starter at left defensive tackle in franchise history. He holds the single-season Cowboys record for fumble recoveries (5 in

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...

), established when the regular season was 14 games long. He was released on September 7,

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...

Buffalo Bills

, he played for the

of the

Personal life

He died on April 2, 2020, in Naples, Florida, at age 83.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Healy, Don 1936 births 2020 deaths Sportspeople from Rome, New York American football defensive tackles Maryland Terrapins football players Chicago Bears players Dallas Cowboys players American Football League players Buffalo Bills players